Features// SPOnG Visits The Arcade Future

Why else would Nintendo devise their Wii console with a physical controller?

Posted 25 Jan 2007 18:22 by
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Aaah the arcades. Halcyon days! Sweet memories of raiding grannies’ slot machine money on weekends away in Scarborough, Bridlington or (the arcade mecca) Blackpool, to spend glorious hours lost in Asteroids, Star Wars, Outrun or After Burner.

But then, of course, home consoles arrived, we grew up (a little!)… and granny carked it. With PS3s (soon), Wiis all over, and 360s in our living rooms all augmented by a wonderful array of first and third-party arcade gaming peripherals (such as the awesome Pyramat Gaming Chair we’ve been play-testing this week, of which, more anon) what place is there for the modern day arcade in the UK in 2007?

In order to recapture the glory days, I took a trip to the 63rd annual ATEI (Amusement Trades Exhibition International) exhibition at London’s Earl’s Court – billed as “the world’s leading showcase for the gaming, gambling and amusement industries” – to check out what Sega, Konami and Namco Bandai and other major players in the current arcade scene had on offer to ‘the industry’.

I arrived rather late in the day yesterday to grab a few pics and catch-up with the representatives for the above-mentioned, long-standing Japanese arcade brands. Many of the attendees, exhibitors and hired ‘models’ were well into end-of-day-at-trade-show ‘wind-down’ mode. I’ve never seen so many people drinking and smoking so heavily in an exhibition centre; I even had to dodge a few weeing (and that’s not in the good Nintendo way) and puking fellows outside who had clearly overindulged. Truly then, just like Blackpool!

With every theme-park, fairground and arcade owner in Britain converging on Earl's Court, there was always going to be end-of-day carnage. I was not disappointed - the gaming/gambling/amusement industry sure knows how to party!

Wii Controllers?!
Eugene Jarvis, the father of seminal arcade games Defender and Robotron 2084 and currently head of arcade development studio Raw Thrills certainly feels that there is an upturn in the arcade scene of late, informing me that:

“I think we’re seeing the beginning of a renaissance in the arcade experience – why else would Nintendo devise their Wii console with a physical controller? There’s an admission right there that a home console has gone as far as it can. It will never truly replace the sense of excitement, particularly the physical excitement and biofeedback, an arcade title can produce.

“People still love the arcade experience. I’m talking about actually feeling the videogame, meaning it. Look at our Super Bikes. It’s got a working clutch and throttle, real control; players are genuinely excited when they climb aboard because they know they are getting one hell of a ride…

“Plus the arcade experience is perfect for gamers, many of whom are female, who have been alienated by the console proposition. A lot of players don’t have the time or patience to push buttons on a game for 70 hours before they can play it. They want something that’s instantly gratifying, immediate and fun.”
But how many of us, as gamers, actually visit our local arcades any more?

Thankfully, the first observation I made as I fought my way through stands littered with coin-counters, prize-grabbers, Lucky Spins, bingo machines and drunken bimbos was that the gaming equipment had all been relocated upstairs this year for the first time. All was much calmer and business-like up there as I skipped around the Sega, Konami and Namco Bandai booths snapping away.

So, what’s new? If you are a hardcore arcade-addict then you were really only there to see one thing – the new and immense, eight-player Outrun cabinet (pictured above) on the Sega booth. You would have been exactly correct to do this – it was, in games/gambling/arcade argot, “ver bollox!”
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Comments

editor 29 Jan 2007 19:19
1/4
Oh this is classic - the consumer games industry gets to the Amusement Trade show... to late!!!

It would be hillerious if it was not such an important show! And just look at all the games that you missed. I wondered why my email had suddenly been hit with a rush request for a run down of the show!

Look guys, the arcade industry, as Eugene said, is making a major come back - games like AfterBurner, 2Jucy, BemaniaXD, PumpIt!NX and Chase HQ2 are BIG - and you go and miss it!!!

Oh my, what a mistakea to makea! If you want full coverage (with pictures of LIVE machines) time you read the Stinger!
TimSpong 30 Jan 2007 09:34
2/4
Stinger Blokey wrote:
Oh this is classic - the consumer games industry gets to the Amusement Trade show... to late!!!

It would be hillerious if it was not such an important show! And just look at all the games that you missed. I wondered why my email had suddenly been hit with a rush request for a run down of the show!


Apparently you have been hit with 'a rush request' because we gave the show a mention. Getting excited about a single request certainly shows enthusiasm though, I'll give you that.

It does suggest that maybe you didn't get a show report done in time though.

Stinger Blokey wrote:
Look guys, the arcade industry, as Eugene said, is making a major come back - games like AfterBurner, 2Jucy, BemaniaXD, PumpIt!NX and Chase HQ2 are BIG - and you go and miss it!!!


Excellent news... really, good stuff.

Stinger Blokey wrote:
Oh my, what...


That, however, pal is an advert, for which we'll be invoicing you.
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editor 30 Jan 2007 11:38
3/4
I understand how it reads like a advert - but how do you say, "hey if you would like to see what you missed please read our stuff - as we made it there on time (for all the three days)"?

If you did run news of the event (missed that), I cant work out why you were not able to get there - and why you , and a whole bunch of the consumer media are running around asking for pictures of the show and reports!

I cant say how important this event was - the 2 Jucy gun game from Sega was a major event, as was the news from Konami on their two big releases. But the chance to play the new cell shaded Chase H.Q. 2 made the trip well worth while.

ANything we can do to help was offered back in 2005 to SPONG regarding the arcade sector, but I think the then editorial team was not interested?
TimSpong 30 Jan 2007 11:45
4/4
editor wrote:
ANything we can do to help was offered back in 2005 to SPONG regarding the arcade sector, but I think the then editorial team was not interested?


Let's take this to email. tim@spong.com
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